The Group of 77 and China
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May, 2006
New York , 8 May 2006: Statement to the Mandate Review on Sustainable Development. In a statement delivered by Peter le Roux, counsellor, Permanent Mission of South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77and China , to the informal consultations on the Review of Mandates, the Group stated that “review of mandates should be inclusive of the entire membership of the UN”
Geneva, 8 May 2006: Statement on the UNCTAD Mid Term Review: In a statement by Masood Khan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the First Plenary Session of the Mid Term Review of UNCTAD XI, the Group outlined their views on the importance of enhancing UNCTAD's development focus and strengthening its mandate
Geneva, 25 April 2006: Pakistan Expects UN to make Affirmative Interventions to Eradicate Poverty, Hunger and Disease : In a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary General, Mark Malloch Brown, Pakistan expressed the hope that the ongoing UN reform process will enable the Organisation to make affirmative interventions in parts of the world which continue to suffer from abject poverty, hunger and disease
Geneva , 20 February 2006: Statement on the Development Agenda of WIPO: In an address to the Provisional Committee on the Development Agenda for WIPO, Pakistan 's Ambassador, Masood Khan, speaking for the Group of 77 and China , stressed that “development has been placed at the centre of the international agenda by the World Summit in New York last year”
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May, 2006 |
New York, 26 April 2006: Press Statement on Management Reform: On 26 April 2006, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations, and Chair of the Group of 77 and China (G-77) held a press conference at UN Headquarters to clarify the Group's draft resolution on “Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organisation worldwide” introduced the General Assembly's Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary
New York, 19 April 2006: Statement to the Informal Consultations on International Environmental Governance: In a statement delivered to the April 19 Informal Consultations of the Plenary on Environment, South Africa, speaking behalf of the G77 and China, outlined their views on environment reform
New York, March 2006: Initial Views on the System-wide Coherence Panel: Toward the end of March, the Chair of the Group of 77 and China in New York, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the UN, circulated a letter to the co-chairs of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence outlining the initial views of the developing country group on the Panel's work
Paris , February 2006: Paris Consensus: In February, the 39th Meeting of the Chairpersons/Coordinators of the G-77 adopted the Paris Consensus, providing a broader developing country perspective on the reform of the international development system
Paris , February 2006: Coordinators adopt overall position on UN Reform measures: The 39th Meeting of the Chairpersons/Coordinators of the G-77 held in February adopted a statement on UN Reform, outlining developing country views on the current state of UN reform negotiations. The statement attaches high priority to reform as an ongoing process and not an end in itself and reaffirms the important the roles and mandates of UN institutions and agencies
Jakarta , November 2005: South-South Cooperation and the Bali Strategic Plan: The High-level consultation to consider the way forward for the South-South Cooperation component of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Cooperation and Capacity Building was convened in Jakarta , Indonesia from 23-24 November 2005
Group of 77: Statement to the Mandate Review on Sustainable Development
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006 |
New York, 8 May 2006: In a statement delivered by Peter le Roux, counsellor, Permanent Mission of South Africa, on behalf of the Group of 77and China to the informal consultations on the Review of Mandates, the Group stated that “all the Organs of the UN must carry out their review of mandates in a manner that is open, transparent and inclusive, showing due regard for the political sensitivities of mandates.” However, he recalled that “it is within the purview of the General Assembly, as the most representative body in the UN, to provide guidance on the strengthening of ECOSOC and the other bodies. Furthermore, the review of cross cutting mandates between the principal organs must be undertaken by the General Assembly.” He said it was of primary importance that the Mandate Review “assesses the current status of implementation of mandates and analyse the reasons as to why some mandates have not been fully implemented,” and thus “addressing the gap between mandates and resources needs to be prioritised.” He requested the Secretariat to “identify the areas where there are gaps between resources and current mandates and identify the relevant principal Organ or subsidiary body responsible for those mandates.” On development, the Group “reaffirmed the important role played by the General Assembly and ECOSOC on issues related to the three pillars of sustainable development.” He said the “mandate given to ECOSOC for the promotion of the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields, in accordance with GA Resolution 57/270B, should be preserved and strengthened. The role of ECOSOC in providing overall oversight, coordination and guidance for the UN operational activities should be reinforced, as well as its role as the central mechanism for system-wide coordination.” Regarding Africa , he said the Group “believes that the United Nations should continue to formulate and streamline its initiatives and mandates with a view to supporting NEPAD and the priorities identified by the African Union.”
Source: Group of 77, 2006; Internet: http://www.g77.org/Speeches/050806b.htm
Group of 77: Statement on the UNCTAD Mid Term Review
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
Geneva , 8 May 2006: In a statement by Masood Khan, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, on Behalf of the Group of 77 and China at the First Plenary Session of the Mid Term Review of UNCTAD XI, the Group outlined their views on the importance of enhancing UNCTAD's development focus and strengthening its mandate. Ambassador Khan stressed that “contemporary international economic environment is negatively influenced by an increasingly unbalanced international financial order, iniquitous trading system, wide asymmetries in knowledge and technology and skewed global economic decision making.” He said “the Group is committed to maintaining and strengthening the organic link between the G-77 and UNCTAD which must be preserved and enhanced in the interest of long-term viability of this UN body.” He said the G-77and China's objective for this first meeting of MTR is to: review the implementation of the Sao Paulo Consensus; identify areas in which implementation of the outcomes of Bangkok and Sao Paulo has faltered or has lagged behind; and in that regard agree to ways and means of ensuring full implementation in all areas and issues covered in the Sao Paulo Consensus.”
He said the Mid Term Review “has acquired added significance because of recognition of the centrality of development in the international agenda agreed at the World Summit last year. We are cognisant of developments elsewhere, including in New York , and wish to make it clear that this exercise of the Review is meant to reinforce, consolidate and implement the Sao Paulo Consensus.” Ambassador Khan said that UNCTAD as “the primary organisation within the UN system for an integrated treatment of trade and development and related areas of investment, finance and technology, UNCTAD is uniquely placed to contribute to coherence. In this regard it is important to highlight the development dimension and implications of all matters under consideration while recognising that there is no ‘one size fits all' approach to development.”
Noting the need to address global imbalances in the wake of globalisation, Ambassador Khan said the “Sao Paulo Consensus highlighted the need for international efforts to enhance the coherence and consistency of the international monetary, financial and trading systems in support of development.” He said the “universality of UNCTAD's membership and its role, expertise and experience in dealing with macroeconomic issues enables it to evolve a development oriented systemic coherence between the UN system and other institutions of international economic governance such as Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and the WTO.” Further, he said the most important cross-cutting issues with regard to systemic coherence that encompass the four sub-themes of UNCTAD XI: “cooperation between UNCTAD and other international organisations; UNCTAD's “special responsibility to contribute to the achievement of the international development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration; and (shrinking policy space for developing countries in the wake of increasing interdependence and “rule-based regimes” of international economic relations.” In the statement, the Group also expressed “concern about the diminishing development orientation of the work of different divisions in UNCTAD.” Ambassador Kahn said “it is important to use the lens of development in viewing the whole range of research and analytical work performed at UNCTAD. This UN body is primarily required to find development oriented solutions to the existing and emerging challenges faced by developing countries. This development orientation and intellectual integrity must be upheld especially when it challenges conventional wisdom. It is also important to ensure adequate and predictable funding to UNCTAD so that it can fully discharge its important role in the international discourse on development.”
Source: G-77 Geneva , 2006
Group of 77: Pakistan Expects UN to make Affirmative Interventions to Eradicate Poverty, Hunger and Disease
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
Geneva , 25 April 2006: In a meeting with UN Deputy Secretary General, Mark Malloch Brown, Pakistan expressed the hope that the ongoing UN reform process will enable the Organisation to make affirmative interventions in parts of the world which continue to suffer from abject poverty, hunger and disease. Ambassador Masood Khan, Pakistan 's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva and Chairman of the Group of 77 and China , expressed this hope on behalf of 133 developing countries in a meeting with the UN Deputy Secretary General. Ambassador Khan said that the Group of 77 and China were of the view that the reform should chart the way forward for an efficient and credible UN system equipped to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development objectives. The Permanent Representative highlighted the role and importance of UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as the focal point within the UN system on an integrated treatment of trade and development and related areas of investment, finance and technology. He added that UNCTAD had served as the world's development conscience for more than four decades and the ongoing UN reform process should not dilute the mandate of UNCTAD or supplant or subsume it. Ambassador Khan said that development was of fundamental importance to the G-77 and the Group was concerned over the slow progress on the follow up of decisions taken and commitments made at 2005 World Summit and earlier summits and conferences on social and development issues in the UN system. He also called for a robust implementation of agreed development commitments with measurable results.
Later, UN Deputy Secretary General briefed the Group of 77 on the latest developments in New York on the UN reform process. He said that the High-Level Panel on System-wide Coherence co-chaired by the Prime Ministers of Pakistan , Norway and Mozambique had met twice in New York and Madrid . He hoped that the Panel will be able to present a concrete Plan of Action for making the UN system more effective, efficient, coherent and development-oriented in a demand driven manner. He assured the Group of 77 that UNCTAD was a critical part of the UN development policy architecture and the reform process was aimed at strengthening its mandate in a balanced manner to serve the interest of developing countries. The meeting was attended by a large number of Ambassadors and delegates from the G-77 Member States in Geneva .
Source: Pakistan Mission to the UN in Geneva , 2006; Internet:
http://missions.itu.int/~pakistan/2005_Press_Releases/UNCTAD/prpakexpunerad_25apr06.htm
Group of 77: Statement on the Development Agenda of WIPO
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
Geneva , 20 February 2006: In an address to the Provisional Committee on the Development Agenda for WIPO, Pakistan 's Ambassador, Masood Khan, speaking for the Group of 77 and China , stressed that “development has been placed at the centre of international agenda by the World Summit in New York last year.” He said that “WIPO being a part of the UN family has an obligation to incorporate and mainstream development as a core value in its programmes and operational activities.” He stressed that the G-77 and China “view that the most important issue at the heart of the development agenda discussion was the need to ensure that the Intellectual Property (IP) System provides states, at different levels of development, with the necessary policy space to meet their developmental needs.” Ambassador Khan said that “development orientation in a norm setting Organisation like WIPO primarily means protecting and operationalising flexibilities that can be utilised by countries, at different levels of development, in pursuit of their legitimate developmental objectives.” He noted that “affordability and accessibility of essential products like pharmaceuticals, text books and educational software have often been cited as primary examples of areas where such flexibilities need to be either created or made operable, with regard to the IP system.”
Source: G-77 Geneva , 2006; Internet: http://www.g77.org/geneva/022006.htm
Group of 77: Press Statement on Management Reform
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
On 26 April 2006, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, Permanent Representative of South Africa to the United Nations and Chair of the Group of 77 and China (G-77), held a press conference at UN Headquarters to clarify the Group's draft resolution on “Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organisation worldwide” introduced in the General Assembly's Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary Issues). Responding to strong remarks from US Ambassador John Bolton and negative press coverage on the Group's resolution, Ambassador Kumalo remarked that “the suggestion that the draft resolution in any way obstructs United Nations management reform is wrong. The Group of 77 and China believes that reform should be meaningful, strengthen the ability of the Organisation to implement its mandates effectively and enable it to serve the interests of the entire membership. Reform is a collective agenda for all Member States and serves our common interests. The voice of every Member State must be heard and respected during this reform process irrespective of the contributions made to the budget of the Organisation. The Group of 77 and China believes that the right of every Member State to have an equal say in the decision-making of the Organisation must be upheld. This right is not dependent on the financial contributions of Member States to the budget of the Organisation. We, therefore, believe that the General Assembly in a resolution on the report “Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organisation worldwide” has to pronounce itself on the governance proposals and reaffirm the sovereign equality of Member States that is enshrined in the Charter.” Ambassador Kumalo further noted that it “became clear during negotiations that there were some areas where there is a wide divergence of views between Member States. These involve the role, prerogatives and responsibilities of Member States in the General Assembly that are enshrined in the Charter.” Ambassador Kumalo said “these are issues that have no relation to the management reform of the Secretariat or the Charter-defined role of the Secretary-General. We all support the Secretary-General as chief administrative officer of the United Nations. However, we do not accept that in order for the Secretary General to carry out his duties, this should be accompanied by denying the majority of Member States the right to pronounce on the administration of the United Nations, including on its budgetary decisions. The Group of 77 and China believes that to suggest that a “small but representative group of Members States” can replace the role of all Member States in carrying out the oversight responsibilities of the General Assembly is to deny every Member of the United Nations the role due to them and to attempt to amend the equality of Member States that is enshrined in the Charter.”
Source: Group of 77, 2006:http://www.g77.org/newswire/index.htm
Webcast of the UN press conference:
http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/pressconference/pc060426am.rm
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Group of 77: Statement to the Informal Consultations on International Environmental Governance
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
In a statement delivered to the 19 April Informal Consultations of the Plenary on Environment, Sivuyile Maqungo, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa , speaking behalf of the G77 and China , outlined their views on environment reform. The Group specifically restated their commitment to the implementation of the Cartagena Package on international environmental governance (IEG), saying that they “would contribute to the current IEG discussions on the firm understanding that no time limits would be set or pressure brought to reach consensus on those issues that have remained unresolved, including on the agenda of inter-governmental bodies outside the General Assembly.” The Group expressed concern that current efforts to assist developing countries in meeting environmental challenges have been insufficient, and noted that development is impeded by “the lack of capacity, inadequate resources including financial, human and technical, unfair agricultural, trade and other economic policies, which impede development efforts.” The Group stated that the “UN's environmental activities must support the objectives of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields, while preserving the integrity of the three pillars of sustainable development.” They also sought assurances that the current reform process would support and respect the three pillars of sustainable development. Regarding the General Assembly's reform process, the Group called for “an assessment of the current system, in order to identify their strengths and weaknesses and factors that impinge on their performance, before deciding on the best course of action.” They proposed that strengthening the UN Environment Programme and other coordinating mechanisms “would, in the immediate and short-term, place them on a strong footing to fulfil the mandate of global advocacy and coordination on environmental governance.” Among the issues addressed in the Group's statement, a call for “development partners to provide stable, predictable and adequate financial resources for UNEP, including its share of the UN regular budget, as well as to better utilise the facilities of the United Nations Office in Nairobi” was included. The Group also expressed concern that the “concept of “tightly” was being interpreted by some predominantly in terms of finances,” and sought clarification on the Co-Chairs' understanding of “tightly-managed entities.” Finally, the Group addressed several procedural issues, including the timing of the current negotiations and relationship with the Secretary-General's High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence.
Source: Group of 77, 2006: http://www.g77.org/Speeches/041906.htm
Group of 77: Initial Views on the System-wide Coherence Panel
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
Toward the end of March, the Chair of the Group of 77 and China in New York, Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the UN, circulated a letter to the co-chairs of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence outlying the initial views of the developing country group on the Panel's work. According to reports by Martin Khor of Third World Network, the letter expresses concerns that the Panel not confine the UN's role to “niche issues” such as disaster and post-conflict management and environment, but also address issues such as development strategies, trade, finance and macro-economic policy to other international organisations. Furthermore, the letter expresses concern “that the process should not lead to the erosion of mandates and resources of UN organisations playing an important role in development, in particular the central roles played by the UN Conference on Trade and Development and the UN Development Fund for Women.” Regarding the work of the Panel, the Group proposed that the “Panel be driven by a vision of a strengthened role for the UN on development issues and the need to implement the internationally agreed development goals including the MDGs so as to ensure the vision crafted in the UN Charter is actually translated into reality.” The Group argued that a strengthened role for the UN also cover the normative, analytical, policy and operational aspects of development. On the process and timing, the Group stated that given the ambitious deadlines and the complexity of the issues, “the panel should not rush its work” and “that thoroughness and careful consideration of issues should not be sacrificed for the sake of meeting an unrealistic timeline.”
Source:
Third World Network/ South-North Development Monitor, 2006: Martin Khor,
G77 stresses UN's leading role to coherence panel SUNS #6000 (4 April 2006):
http://www.twnside.org.sg/un_reform.htm
Group of 77: Paris Consensus
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
In February, the 39th Meeting of the Chairpersons/Coordinators of the G-77 adopted the Paris Consensus, providing a broader developing country perspective on the reform of the international development system. G-77 coordinators for 2006 are: New York- South Africa , Nairobi- Uganda , Vienna- ; Geneva- , Rome -. The Paris Consensus stresses the importance of South-South cooperation, and reaffirms its role in the overall context of multilateralism and as a valuable contribution to development. The statement highlights the implementation of Doha Declaration and the Doha Plan of Action, as well as the South Fund for Development and Humanitarian Assistance, which was established by the Second South Summit in order to strengthen the institutional capacity of the Group of 77, assist the countries of the South in their development efforts, and address the problems of hunger, poverty and natural disasters. The Consensus notes that “trade agreements should not be allowed to impede the ability of people to obtain affordable textbooks and medicines or make basic services such as water and sanitation unaffordable for large segments of the population.”
Regarding the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the Consensus commits developing countries to work for its institutional revival, promote its work on operationalising important concepts such as policy space and corporate social responsibility, and to invigorate its intergovernmental machinery with a view to encouraging consensus building and making soft law to facilitate rule making in WTO and other organisations. The Consensus also states that “technical assistance should work in tandem with research and consensus building and should not become the flagship project of UNCTAD.” The Consensus stresses the importance of UNCTAD as the principal organisation within the UN system for an integrated treatment of trade and development, and commits the G-77 to ensure that the UN reform process does not dilute its mandate, supplant or subsume it. Regarding the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the role of agriculture in developing countries' economies, the Consensus called for the UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and FAO to cooperate closely to promote rural education in order to foster more rapid development; and FAO and other competent organisations to promote capacity building in developing countries in order to meet the challenges of the spread of Avian Flu. The Consensus also calls for intensified efforts by the UN system to promote greater capacity building for rural development aimed at enhancing irrigation capacity, improved rain harvesting, promoting sustainable fisheries and livestock methods.
Regarding the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Consensus endorsed the outcome of the Jakarta meeting on South-South cooperation on the implementation of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Support and Capacity Building . The Consensus supports the outcome as an over-arching action plan for South-South cooperation within UNEP and it provides the necessary grounding for mutually supportive cooperation initiation in the context of the Bali Strategic Plan. On the implementation of the decisions of the World Summit on the Information Society, the Consensus highlights the need for developing countries to collectively influence the establishment of the proposed Internet Governance Forum, by ensuring that it addresses the development dimension of Internet governance and gives representation to developing countries as well as multi-stakeholders from the developing countries.
Source: Group of 77, 2006: http://www.g77.org/newswire/index.htm
Group of 77: Coordinators adopt overall position on UN Reform measures
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
The 39th Meeting of the Chairpersons/Coordinators of the G-77 held in February adopted a statement on UN Reform, outlining developing country views on the current state of UN reform negotiations. The statement attaches high priority to reform as an ongoing process and not an end in itself and reaffirms the roles and mandates of UN institutions and agencies- such as the UN Conference on trade and Development, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), UN Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), UN Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), International fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Human Settlements Programme (UNHABITAT) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP). In particular, the statement stresses the importance of UNCTAD as the principal organisation within the UN system for an integrated treatment of trade and development. The statement emphasises the “importance of the UN as the central forum for dialogue and negotiations on issues relating to international cooperation for development,” and commits “developing countries to strive to develop the UN's full potential to address urgent and serious economic and social problems facing developing countries.” Addressing concerns that the reform process is being used by some donor countries to ensure cost cutting and budget streamlining, the G-77 stated that “the reform exercise should ensure that the organisation is able to implement the entire range of its mandates more effectively and efficiently.” They stressed, however, that developing countries “would not accept changes to the inter-governmental nature of decision-making, oversight and monitoring processes.” They also argued that the “reform process is not intended to reduce the budget levels of the Organisation or to fund more activities from within the existing pool of resources, nor is it meant to redefine the roles and responsibilities assigned to the various Organs of the UN by the Charter.” The statement also stresses “the importance of mainstreaming the development dimension in the ongoing process, with the aim of enabling the full participation of peoples from the South in the international decision and rule-making economic processes and ensuring their access to and enjoyment of the benefits of international economy.” The statement also recognises the political importance attached to strengthening of the UN's role in promoting international cooperation for economic and social development and proposes that the realisation of the right to development should be given utmost priority by the UN.
Source: Group of 77, 2006: http://www.g77.org/newswire/index.htm
Group of 77: South-South Cooperation and the Bali Strategic Plan
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
The High-level consultation to consider the way forward for the South-South Cooperation component of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Cooperation and Capacity Building was convened in Jakarta, Indonesia from 23- 24 November 2005. The Bali Strategic Plan, adopted by the UN Environment Programme's Governing Council/ Global Ministerial Environment Forum in 2005, is one of the key elements of the Cartagena Package on international environmental governance. The Bali Strategic Plan recognised the need to support South-South efforts and the implementation of the relevant decisions of South-South conferences and other forums, particularly of the Group of 77 and China (G-77). Hosted by Indonesia's State Minister for Environment, Rachmat Witoelar, who is also the current President of the UNEP Governing Council, the high-level consultation examined the scope, extent and potential of South-South cooperation and explored the means to build on existing experiences, capacities and programmes and improve coordination and participation of countries in the South. In an opening address, Minister Witoelar appealed for bold commitments to South-South cooperation, including through the establishment of regional and sub-regional partnerships as well as cross-regional programmes. In his capacity as Chairperson of the Group of 77 and China, Nairobi Chapter, Pedro Luis Pedroso, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Cuba to UNEP and UN-HABITAT, reaffirmed the importance which G-77 and China attaches to South-South cooperation as a key mechanism for the achievement of the Bali Strategic Plan and called on the meeting to pay particular attention to some priority operational issues such as resources mobilisation, tripartite South-South-North coordination mechanism, inventories of relevant ongoing initiatives, and the need to maximise UNEP's competencies in catalysing and facilitating South-South cooperation. Following two days of discussion, the meeting concluded with the adoption of set of recommendations, which were submitted for consideration at the Ninth Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum held in February 2006. The Paris Consensus, adopted by the Coordinators of the G-77 in February 2006, endorsed the outcome of the Jakarta meeting on South-South cooperation within the overall implementation process of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Support and Capacity Building . Developing countries also supported the outcome as over-arching action plan for South-South cooperation within UNEP and noted that it provides the necessary grounding for mutually supportive cooperation initiation in the context of the Bali Strategic Plan.
With regard to UNEP, the High Level consultation agreed that the role of UNEP is primarily one of identifying, catalysing, cataloguing, facilitating and initiating south-south cooperation initiatives including the sharing of information and best practices. The consultation further recommended that UNEP support to South-South cooperation include: training; development of a clearing house, building on what is existing and exploring new avenues; soliciting contributions from countries; developing legal support mechanisms to facilitate south-south cooperation (e.g. as it relates to trade and technology); fostering cooperation with relevant partners and conducting demonstration projects within available resources. The consultation also proposed that within the overall framework of the Bali Strategic Plan, UNEP is requested to develop a comprehensive programme of action for South-South cooperation for presentation to the 24th regular session of the Governing Council of UNEP in 2007, including the:
- incorporation of South-South cooperation into the needs assessments and priority setting currently under consideration in the context of the Bali Strategic Plan;
- priority areas, institutional arrangements, timeframes, scope of operations (national, regional) and opportunities to forward South-South cooperation which were identified by the high level consultation;
- importance of regional level implementation processes, and the need to build upon existing national, regional and global initiatives and partnerships, including with UN Development Programme;
- need to integrate South-South cooperation in the relevant policy development frameworks, such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers, UN Development Assistance Frameworks, implementation mechanisms for Millennium Development Goals; the need to solicit sustainable financing and develop innovative financial mechanisms, while acknowledging the support already provided by donor countries and international organisations to South-South cooperation;
- need for improved and effective communication as it relates to the value added and benefits of South-South cooperation, as well as the expertise and technology available in the South, in order to promote wider appreciation of the principle and potential value of South-South cooperation;
- possibilities of joint regional policy setting as a means to forward South-South cooperation; and
- need to develop a 2015 vision for South-South cooperation with tangible targets.
Source: G-77, 2006: http://www.g77.org/newswire/index.htm
UNEP, 2006:
http://www.unep.org/GC/GCSS-IX/Documents/K0584630GCSS-IX-INF14.pdf
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Mozambique
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May, 2006
Mozambique: Prime Minister Announces UN Consultation in Maputo: According to reports from Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo), Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo and co-chair of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence said the development component has not so far been sufficiently covered by the reform process, noting that prior to the establishment of the Panel the discussion of United Nations reform had concentrated on political issues such as the composition of the Security Council.
Mozambique : Prime Minister Announces UN Consultation in Maputo
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
According to reports from Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo), Mozambican Prime Minister Luisa Diogo and co-chair of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on System-wide Coherence said the development component has not so far been sufficiently covered by the reform process, noting that prior to the establishment of the panel, the discussion of United Nations reform had concentrated on political issues such as the composition of the Security Council. Prime Minister Diogo told reporters that the first regional consultative meeting for Africa will take place in Maputo on 8-9 May. Six other African states have been invited to attend this meeting: South Africa , Botswana , Senegal , Sierra Leone , Tanzania and The Democratic Republic of Congo. Prior to the meeting, she said, the Mozambican government will consult with civil society, "and seek contributions from the NGOs, national and foreign, working in the country. This will be the first assessment of what civil society thinks of the functioning of the UN". She that Mozambique wanted a UN that was "flexible, that responds to the countries own programmes, that is efficient in terms of its work, and that produces results on the ground". Regarding the proposal made to the Panel, she said there “are two broad positions. One stresses the bureaucratic, structural weight of the current system, and favours slimming it down in the name of efficiency. The other strikes a note of caution, pointing out that each UN agency has its specific tasks, and has built up a pool of knowledge that must not be lost, if and when the agency is abolished.” She said there was need to rationalise the system, without reducing the UN ' s capacity for work. On environmental issues, Prime Minister Diogo said the system must be reformed so that the UN could respond promptly in the event of natural disasters. She said there should be a permanent UN fund available for such unforeseen events, instead of the current situation of hurried fund-raising whenever disaster strikes, and there must be cohesion between UN policy documents and what happens on the ground. She also stated that a thorny problem posed to the Panel is what to do about the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, noting that this was a matter of concern to the Panel, and would be the subject of recommendations.
Source: 2006 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique 2006;
http://allafrica.com/stories/200604280494.html
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India
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May, 2006
Geneva, April 2006: India, Brazil, Peru Set to Propose TRIPS Amendment on Biodiversity: According to reports by IP-Watch (2006), a group of countries led by Brazil, India and Peru has indicated that it intends to present a text relating to the discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on biodiversity “in days, not weeks” suggesting an amendment to current trade law, sources say
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May, 2006
New York , 6 April 2006: India : Statement on System-wide Coherence: In a statement to the informal meeting of the plenary with members of the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on System-wide Coherence on April 6 2006, Ajai Malhotra , India 's Acting Permanent Representative, called for the Panel to address the “gap between mandates and financial resources available for their fulfilment
India, Brazil , Peru Set to Propose TRIPS Amendment on Biodiversity
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
Geneva, April 2006: According to reports by IP-Watch (2006), a group of countries led by Brazil, India and Peru has indicated that it intends to present a text relating to the discussions at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) on biodiversity “in days, not weeks” suggesting an amendment to current trade law, sources say. Brazil , India and Peru confirmed that they informed the WTO Trade Negotiations Committee on 1 May about their plans for the paper, which would amend the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). An Indian official said it was premature to discuss the content of the paper but said the group was “trying to take into account the questions and concerns of members as available in their papers and interventions on the issue in the TRIPS Council and in the dedicated consultations.” It is not yet clear who will co-sponsor the paper, the official said. The group had worked with the WTO overall trade talks 30 April deadline for establishing modalities in agriculture and non-agriculture market access in mind, but as this deadline had been missed, they had had more time to prepare the text, an official from the group said.
The proposal could potentially move the WTO consultations on biodiversity and traditional knowledge forward to “text-based” negotiations, which a number of countries, especially developed countries, have taken issue with, saying that the biodiversity discussions at the WTO are not supposed to be text-based. This is linked to the argument of some member countries that this is not a negotiation issue or even part of the current WTO trade liberalisation talks (known as the Doha Development round), according to several sources. Some countries also argue that moving to a text would be premature, sources said. After consultations in March, one Indian delegate told Intellectual Property Watch: “We need to start text-based discussions by April. If not, they need to come tell us why there is no negotiation.” A TRIPS amendment would only be the second time in history that the agreement has been changed. The first change to the 1994 TRIPS agreement was made in December 2005 when members made permanent a temporary waiver from 2003 that allowed countries to export generic medicines under compulsory license to countries without adequate manufacturing capacities. Consultations on the relationship between the Convention on Biodiversity and the TRIPS agreement are being carried out by the WTO Deputy Director General Rufus Yerxa.
Source: IP-Watch, 2006
Internet: http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=291&res=1024_ff&print=0
India Statement on System-wide Coherence
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
In a statement to the informal meeting of the plenary with members of the Secretary-General's High-Level Panel on System-wide Coherence (6 April), Ajai Malhotra , India 's Acting Permanent Representative, called for the Panel to address the “gap between mandates and financial resources available for their fulfilment.” Given the modest funds available to the UN and the huge requirements of developing countries, he suggested that the delivery role of the UN will perforce be peripheral, unless the financing gap is addressed. India proposed that South-South cooperation play an important facilitatory role in the UN context, noting that the impact and effectiveness of development assistance could be enhanced by the use of local expertise, including use of relevant technologies. He further suggested that ‘projects' in recipient countries be tackled through “insourcing”, both from within a recipient developing country and amongst developing countries. In response to proposals for some developed countries for radical structural reforms, he stated that “proposals for drastic reengineering of development and environment bodies by collapsing them inwards into ‘large unified entities' is not a good idea.” He said “there was still a case for specialised and separate entities to serve specific mandates, which may otherwise not receive the emphasis or financial resources they deserve.” Regarding procedural issues, he also called for greater clarity between the various UN reform process, stating that “all these considerations and processes would reach a boil or an outcome as per different time horizons and we hope that serious attention is given so that we do not reach contradictory or confusing results.”
Source: Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations, 2006
http://www.un.int/india/2006/ind1222.pdf
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Egypt
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 2 ¦May 2006
New York, May 2006: Egypt: Non-paper on UN System-wide Coherence
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
New York, May 2006: An informal paper circulated by Egypt’s Mission to the UN in New York outlines several issues on system-wide coherence, and outlines a set of proposals for reform at the global, regional and country levels.
The process on system-wide coherence should not lead to a total or immediate restructuring of the United Nations activities in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance and the environment, but should focus on the areas where better coordination and coherence is needed and propose different options to tackle it. Proposals to restructure and cluster the activities of the United Nations in these three areas should closely consider the inter-relationships between them, as these issues cannot be considered in isolation of each other. Any changes that might need to be introduced to the current system – both at the country level, or at the level of the headquarters – will have to be incremental and not lead to additional administrative costs or unwieldy management structures. Such changes should not disrupt on-going development plans and activities.
The basis of all development activities must be full national ownership of country defined national development strategies, plans and activities. Mainstreaming of environment as an integral part of sustainable development, gender and human rights, including the right to development, in the activities of the UN system, and particularly with regards to operational activities, should be considered with a view to providing support to the developing countries and consistent with the outcome of the 2005 Summit, and to assist them to adopt and implement national development strategies and policies. Furthermore, and consistent with the 2005 outcome, global programmes, measures and policies supportive of national development policies should take into account national conditions and ensure respect for national ownership, strategies and sovereignty. All efforts to monitor, assess and follow-up on environmental degradation should not be limited to operational activities, but should be an integral part of a global agenda for developed and developing countries alike.
Increased resources, and a higher degree of predictability with regards to the funding of the UN operational activities is required to ensure the success of any reform process in the three areas specified. Funding of the UN normative and analytical work at the global and regional levels should be from the UN regular budget so as to ensure the neutrality and impartiality in the analytical work and normative monitoring by the UN of the international commitments. While granting a high level of importance to the examination of issues of financing and governance of the system, other important elements/principles should also be addressed, including inter-alia the following:
Implementation of commitments undertaken in various inter-governmental bodies: Why do some of these commitments remain un-implemented? And how can the obstacles that confront their implementation be overcome? One example includes the commitment to transfer technology and promote capacity building in developing countries. As developing countries commit themselves to the implementation of national development strategies, donor accountability with regards to their commitments is required to ensure the implementation of the outcomes of the United Nations summits and conferences. The system should track progress – or lack there-of – in this area.
Accountability of the system to Member States. Such accountability may be examined at different levels: First, at headquarters, accountability should be with regards to the delivery of mandated activities and efficient management. And second, at the country level, accountability by the system to national authorities to ensure that the resident coordinator is implementing national priorities and supporting the process of full national ownership of the development plans.
Transparency in the work of the secretariat, at all levels, through a set of clearly defined procedures that ensure that their activities are neutral and impartial, and that the accountability rules are applied to their activities.
Mainstreaming environment must be undertaken fully taking into account social and economic development (the two other pillars of sustainable development), and must strive to develop modalities at all levels to ensure that development is sustainable. An examination of the themes of human rights and gender must take fully into account its implementation throughout the United Nations at different levels, and should include all human rights, including the right to development, and its implementation at the country level must ensure full support to national development plans and should be carried out while fully cognisant of the principles of national ownership and leadership of the development process.
Other development commitments of the 2005 Summit should be mainstreamed in the activities of the United Nations, including the right to development, the principle of environmental and social corporate responsibility and accountability, south-south cooperation and the policy space. The UN system should examine ways to take account of these agreed principles in its process of decision-making.
The drive to achieve system-wide coherence should not be a cost cutting process at the country level. Reductions in administrative expenses should be redirected to programmes in each country. The principles of cost recovery should be harmonised, and its proceedings retained and spent on development programmes at the country level. The process should identify clear linkages between the UN system and the IFIs, allowing for synergy between them, and ensuring the optimal use of the different competences of the different organisations, funds, programmes and agencies. The central role of the UN in development has to be clearly highlighted. Such role stems from a number of factors, particularly its unique universal nature.
Global level: A central analytical/normative role for DESA is important. DESA should continue close collaboration with regional commissions, UNCTAD and specialised agencies in support of global analysis, norm-setting as well as policy issues related to the thematic clusters and issues of a cross-sectoral nature. As clear linkages between the normative work of the UN and its operational activities are identified, DESA and agencies with normative capacities should be encouraged to continue to conduct work pertaining to international norm-setting and the monitoring of and follow up to commitments undertaken by all partners in development. Such undertakings are to take place in response to relevant inter-governmental agreements through the General Assembly, ECOSOC and UN conferences and summits. A unified statistical capacity for the system under DESA can better serve the whole UN system. A merger of all the research institutes of the United Nations, including UNU under DESA to help with the research needed for the preparation of the SG reports for consideration by Member States, and also assist in providing options on how best to respond to the needs and concerns of Member States.
Regional Level: Establish regional hubs with the regional commissions at its core to conduct normative and analytical work to backstop country level development needs, and to support the operational activities conducted by the UN funds, programmes and specialised agencies. Their capacities and expertise should be reviewed/enhanced to support such a role. These regional hubs should also serve to enhance coordination and provide support to regional and sub-regional development initiatives, such as NEPAD, COMESA etc. Regional interlinkages should be reflected in the CCA/UNDAF processes at the country level, particularly to address issues such as energy networks, migration, trade, transport, etc.
Country Level: The role of the Resident Coordinator is central in assisting and supporting national authorities, at their request, in coordinating technical assistance, and must respond to national strategies, needs and priorities determined by the national authorities. The respect for full national ownership and leadership of the development process has to be fully adhered to and respected. The success of the Resident Coordinator depends not only on his/her quality, but also on their legitimacy and independence. Clear accountability should be established vis-a-vis national authorities. A better trained and experienced UN staff member as RC, and that his/her selection should be based on the recipient country’s needs previously identified and agreed upon by the government. The same applies to all country level managers in the Country Team.
Source: Egypt’s Mission to the UN, 2006
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Africa
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 2 ¦May 2006
Ouagadougou, 15 May 2006: Economic Commission for Africa: Ministerial Statement, 39 th Session of the Commission/Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development: At the Twenty-fifth meeting of the Committee of Experts Thirty-ninth session of the Commission/Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, held in Ouagadougou from 14 - 15 May 2006, Ministers discussed a paper prepared by the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Africa, entitled Follow-Up to the 2005 World Summit Outcome: ECA ' s Response
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Nairobi , April 2006: African Union: Trade Ministers Address UNCTAD Reform: The fourth session of the African Union's Conference of Trade Ministers, took place in Nairobi on 12-14 April 2006. According to reports by Martin Khor of the Third World Network, the threat to UNCTAD was extensively discussed at the Ministerial segment as well as at the meeting of senior officials
Economic Commission for Africa : Ministerial Statement, 39 th Session of the Commission/Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
Volume 1 Edition 2 | May 2006
Ouagadougou , 15 May 2006: At the Twenty-fifth meeting of the Committee of Experts Thirty-ninth session of the Commission/Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, held in Ouagadougou on 14 - 15 May 2006, Ministers discussed a paper prepared by the Secretariat of the Economic Commission for Africa, entitled Follow-Up to the 2005 World Summit Outcome: ECA ' s Response. The paper deals specifically with the: coherence in the areas of development, humanitarian assistance, and the environment; review of mandates; UN response to the World Summit Outcome in the economic and social area; and ECA ' s response to the World Summit Outcome and other initiatives. T he Meeting concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Statement which, inter alia , “welcomed the initiative of the Executive Secretary of ECA and commended his vision and the boldness of the proposals he has advanced for repositioning ECA to improve the delivery of its services to Member States in response to the 2005 World Summit Outcome.” In this regard, the Ministers “encouraged the Executive Secretary to pursue the proposal to refocus ECA ' s work around two pillars: promoting regional integration; and meeting Africa ' s special needs and the global challenges faced by the continent, as well as strengthening statistics and addressing gender equality issues and women ' s empowerment.” The Ministers also supported the proposal to strengthen ECA ' s Sub-Regional Offices.
We trust that such reform will enable ECA, working with its partners, to better assist African countries to meet their economic and social development challenges, including that of employment generation and the special needs of conflict affected countries. Ministers also welcomed the recent revitalisation of the Joint AU/ADB/ECA secretariat by the leaders of the three institutions and encourage further strengthening of cooperation among them. We strongly recommend rationalisation of programmes and activities of the regional institutions in order to enhance synergies and avoid unnecessary and costly duplication.
More information:
Source: ECA, 2006:
http://www.uneca.org/cfm/2006/ministerial_statement.htm
African Union : Trade Ministers Address UNCTAD Reform
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
The fourth session of the African Union's Conference of Trade Ministers, took place in Nairobi on 12-14 April 2006. According to reports by Martin Khor of the Third World Network, the threat to UNCTAD was extensively discussed at the Ministerial segment as well as at the meeting of senior officials. A section on UNCTAD and the UN reform was included in both of the Ministerial Declarations adopted by the conference. The Nairobi Declaration on the Economic Partnership Agreements states: “in view of the cross cutting nature of UNCTAD's programmes and activities for capacity building, we are concerned with recent proposals by some developed countries to erode the mandate or even the institutional continuance of UNCTAD in the context of the UN reform process. We reaffirm that the UN reform process should not result in an erosion or diminution of the mandate or activities of UNCTAD. Instead, the reform process should enhance the role and activities of UNCTAD as the focal point in the UN system for the integrated treatment of trade and development and related issues. UNCTAD should continue its assistance to African countries regarding trade negotiations and development policies.” Khor also reports that a similar section on UNCTAD was adopted in the separate Nairobi Ministerial Declaration on the Doha Work Programme. Paragraph 19 of this declaration states that the Ministers recognise the role and comparative advantage of UNCTAD in matters of assistance to African countries in their capacity building efforts and that they are concerned by recent proposals from some developed countries to reduce its mandate and also put in jeopardy the institutional continuity of UNCTAD with regard to the reform of the United Nations system. The Declaration added that the process of reform should strengthen the role and activities of UNCTAD as the focal point within the UN system for the integrated treatment of trade, development and related issues. UNCTAD ought to continue its assistance to African countries with regard to trade negotiations and development policies.
Source: Third World Network, 2006:
African Ministers warn against erosion of UNCTAD's mandate Martin Khor, Nairobi , 17 April;
http://www.ourworldisnotforsale.org/showarticle.asp?search=1453
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Friends of Development
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
A Development Agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organisation: Another key issue not directly part of the Cartagena or World Summit Packages, but critical in strengthening the international architecture for environment and development, are the current developing country proposals for a development agenda for the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPO)
A Development Agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organisation
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
Another key issue not directly part of the Cartagena or World Summit Packages, but critical in strengthening the international architecture for environment and development, are the current developing country proposals for a development agenda for the World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPO). The Paris Consensus, adopted at the 39 th meeting of the G-77 Coordinators in February 2006, expressed concern that the norms and the technical assistance programme of the WIPO over-emphasises the promotion of intellectual property rights standards at the expense of development dimensions. The Consensus commits developing countries to push for a Development Agenda to make WIPO more development-oriented.
In August 2004, Brazil, Argentina and 12 other developing countries tabled a proposal for Development Agenda as part of the reform of WIPO include an amendment to the WIPO Convention (1967), a reorientation of the content of present proposals in treaties now being negotiated at WIPO, the establishment of new pro-development treaties and a change in WIPO's technical assistance activities. Co-sponsored by 14 countries, it was also supported from the floor by the Asian and African Groups and many individual developing countries. Among the issues and measures to be considered, the proposal calls for:
- adoption of a high-level declaration on intellectual property and development;
- Amendments to the WIPO Convention to ensure that development concerns are fully brought into WIPO activities;
- Treaties under negotiation in WIPO, such as the SPLT, should include provisions on the transfer of technology, on anticompetitive practices as well as on the safeguarding of public interest flexibilities;
- Technical cooperation establish consistent pluri-annual programs and plans for cooperation between WIPO and developing countries aiming at strengthening national intellectual property offices, so that they may effectively become an acting element in national development policy;
- the creation of a Standing Committee on Intellectual Property and the Transfer of Technology, for the consideration of measures to ensure an effective transfer of technology to developing countries and LDCs;
- Joint WIPO-WTO-UNCTAD international seminar on intellectual property and development; and
- Ensure the wide participation of civil society in WIPO's activities, changing WIPO's terminology with regard to NGOs .
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India-Brazil-South Africa
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
India-Brazil-South Africa: Technical Barriers to Trade: Another issue, as yet falling outside the current realm of international environmental governance discussion, is the relationship between trade and environment, in particular situations where environmental regulations are considered as technical barriers to trade.
India-Brazil-South Africa : Technical Barriers to Trade
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006 |
Another issue, as yet falling outside the current realm of international environmental governance discussion, is the relationship between trade and environment, in particular situations where environmental regulations are considered as technical barriers to trade. The general relationship between the environment and development system, including Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and the World Trade Organisation has often been sidelined in debates around strengthening UN Environment Programme (UNEP), and there has also been opposition from some governments for the inclusion of trade-related issues within UNEP's bi-annual programme of work. The UN Conference on Trade and Development's Trade and Environment Review 2006, released on 31 March 2006, concluded that “stringent environmental, health, and safety standards for everything from electronics to food are making it harder for the world's poorer nations to export products to lucrative markets in North America, Europe and developed Asia .” The report also noted that “some standards are so stringent or technically advanced that developing countries may not have access to the equipment and expertise needed to implement them and demonstrate compliance.” The report also recommends that developing countries adopt a strategic, anticipatory approach to new requirements in place of their current reactive, "fire-fighting" approach. The India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Ministerial Declaration (March 2006), adopted at the 3 rd IBSA Dialogue Forum in Brazil on March 30, 2006, provides further insight into how developing countries are struggling to deal with environment-related trade measures, in this case the EU's proposed Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals (REACH) Legislation. In the Declaration, the Ministers expressed their concern for the unintended consequences that REACH will have on developing economies exporting to the EU, and urged the EU to ensure that REACH will not become a Technical Barrier to Trade. Ministers expressed concerns that the high costs for compliance, the possibilities for substituting commodities, and the lack of technological and human resource capacity to comply may render the EU markets inaccessible for exports from developing countries. In her address to the meeting, South Africa 's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nokosazana Dlamini-Zuma, while pointing out that while not being “intrinsically opposed to the spirit of the legislation,” noted that the unintended negative consequences of the legislation such as a possible cost imposition of approximately E9.2 billion on developing countries and a lengthy registering process. The Minister also states that if implemented in its current form, REACH would “wreak havoc and stunt the development of our economies.”
Source:
IBSA, 2006: http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/2006/ibsa0331.htm
RSA, 2006: http://www.dfa.gov.za/docs/speeches/2006/dzum0330.htm
UNCTAD, 2006:
http://www.unctad.org/Templates/webflyer.asp?docid=6895&intItemID=1397&lang=1
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Group of 24
ieg-dossier coverage
Volume 1 Edition 1 ¦May 2006
Group of 24: The Voice and Representation of Developing Countries: On 21 April, in preparation for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development released a Ministerial Communiqué outlining developing country views on global economic prospects, the millennium development goals, the IMF's medium-term strategy, the voice and representation of developing countries; and clean energy, climate change, and development.
Group of 24: The Voice and Representation of Developing Countries
Volume 1 Edition 1 | May 2006
On 21 April, in preparation for the World Bank and International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings, the Intergovernmental Group of Twenty-Four on International Monetary Affairs and Development release a Ministerial Communiqué outlining developing country views on global economic prospects, the millennium development goals, the IMF's medium-term strategy, the voice and representation of developing countries; and clean energy, climate change, and development. The G-24 was established by developing countries in 1971, with the objective to concert the position of developing countries on monetary and development finance issues. Current members of the G-24 are : for Africa, Algeria, Côte d ' Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo; for Latin America and the Caribbean: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela; and for Asia and developing countries of Europe: India, Iran, Lebanon, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Syrian Arab Republic. The Philippines currently serves as the Group's chair. Regarding the voice and representation of developing countries, the Communiqué stresses the need to make rapid progress on increasing the representation of developing countries in the Bretton Woods Institutions, and notes that concrete progress by the 2006 Annual Meetings is imperative. The Group expressed reservations about the lack of timelines in the proposal by the Managing Director of the IMF for a two stage process, preferring a comprehensive package that would deal with all the major issues simultaneously within a firm deadline. The Group proposed that a comprehensive package should include, inter alia: a new quota formula that reflects more accurately the relative economic size of developing countries in the world economy, taking into account purchasing power parity and developing countries' greater vulnerability to commodity price fluctuations, volatile capital flows, and other exogenous shocks; and a substantial increase in basic votes.
Source: Group of 24; http://www.g24.org/com0406.pdf